Abolitionists Essays - American Slaves, Anglican Saints,

Abolitionists Strategies of Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown Abolitionist Movement was a reform movement during the 18th and 19th centuries. Often called the antislavery movement, it sought to end the enslavement of Africans and people of African descent in Europe, the Americas, and Africa itself. It also aimed to end the Atlantic slave trade carried out in the Atlantic Ocean between Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Many people participated in trying to end slavery. These people became known as the abolitionists. The three well-known abolitionists are Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and John Brown. Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), born into slavery as Isabella, was an American abolitionist and an advocate of women's rights. She joined the abolitionist movement and became a travelling preacher. She took her new name-Sojourner Truth-in 1843 and began preaching along the eastern seaboard. Her strategy consisted of walking through Long Island and Connecticut, speaking to people about her life and her relationship with God. She was a powerful speaker and singer. When she rose to speak, wrote one observer, her commanding figure and dignified manner hushed every trifler to silence. Audiences were melted into tears by her touching stories. She traveled and spoke widely. Encountering the women's rights movement in 1850, Truth added its causes to hers. She is particularly remembered for the famous Ain't I a Woman? speech she gave at the woman's rights convention in 1851. Although Truth never learned to read or write, she dictated her memoirs to Olive Gilbert and they were published in 1850s as The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave. This book, and her presence as a speaker, made her a sought-after figure on the anti-slavery woman's rights lecture circuit. Harriet Tubman was closely associated with Abolitionist John Brown and was well acquainted with other abolitionists, including Frederick Douglas, Jermain Loguen, and Gerrit Smith. After freeing herself from slavery, Tubman worked at various activities to save to finance her activities as a Conductor of the Underground Railroad. She is believed to have conducted approximately 300 persons to freedom in the North. The tales of her exploits reveal her highly spiritual nature, as well as a grim determination to protect her charges and those who aided them. Her strategy was to show confidence to the people she was responsible for. Like Truth, she used words to influence others. She always expressed confidence that God would aid her efforts, and threatened to shoot any of her charges who thought to turn back. For example, Tubman had a very short rule, which implied death to anyone who talked of giving out and going back. She would give all to understand that times were very critical and the refore no foolishness would be indulged in on the road. Her subjects were greatly invigorated by Harriet's blunt and positive manner and threat of extreme measures. When William Still published The Underground Railroad in 1871, he included a letter from Thomas Garret, the Stationmaster of Wilmington Delaware. In this letter, Garret describes Tubman as Moses. He success was wonderful. Time and time again she made successful visits to Maryland on the Underground Railroad, and would be absent for weeks at a time, running daily risks while making preparations for herself and her passengers. Great fears were entertained for her safety, but she seemed wholly devoid of personal fear?she would not suffer one of her party to whimper once, about giving out and going back, however wearied they might be by the hard travel day and night. John Brown was an American abolitionist, born in Connecticut and raised in Ohio. Unlike Truth and Hubman's peaceful strategies, he felt passionately and violently that he must fight to end slavery. The success of the pro-slavery forces, especially their lack of Lawrence, aroused Brown, and in order to cause a restraining fear he, with four of his sons and two other men, led the murder of five pro-slavery men on the banks of the Pottawatomie River. He stated that he was an instrument in the hand of God. His exploits as a leader of an antislavery bank received wide publicity, especially in abolitionist journals, and as Old Brown of Osawatomie he became nationally known. Brown did not end there. In October 1856, Brown

Banking services in saudi arabia research proposal The WritePass Journal

Banking services in saudi arabia research proposal Literature Review Banking services in saudi arabia research proposal Literature ReviewI.  IntroductionII.  Lending Institutions in Saudi Arabia  III. Regulatory Framework of Banking System in Saudi ArabiaIV. Improvement of Banking ServicesVI. Service Quality in Saudi Arabian BanksVII.  Technology Use in Banking Service ProvisionRecommendationsReferencesRelated Literature Review I.  Introduction The beginning of the modern banking system began in October 1952 with the creation of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) the principle agency responsible for management of monetary matters. Paper money was first introduced in the early years of the 1950s decade. Banking problems in the late 1950s decade resulted in regulatory framework being strengthened in Saudi Arabia during the middle 1960s decade in which broad supervisory capacity was given to SAMA in a legal environment that upheld the concept of a Universal Banking Model allowing banks to make provision of a wide range of financial services â€Å"including banking, investments, securities, etc. through their branches.† (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, 2004, p.3) There were 12 operating banks by 1979 only three of which, were non-Saudi banks and branches had doubled by that year to 140. II.  Lending Institutions in Saudi Arabia Five major lending institutions were introduced in the decade of the 1970s: (1) Saudi Credit Bank; (2) Saudi Agricultural Bank; (3) Public Investment Fund; (4) Saudi Development Fund; and (5) the Real Estate Fund. (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, 2004,  Ã‚  Ã‚   p.3) Restructuring was accomplished arising from encouragement by the Saudi Government and by 1975 there was a reported â€Å"10 international bank†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦including â€Å"29 branches present.† (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, 2004, p.3) There was a rise and fall in the economy and SAMA faced a critical challenge for supervision in 1982 â€Å"when irregularities appeared in Saudi Cairo Bank’s operations. Two senior managers were involved in unauthorized trading in bullion during the 1979-81 period, and had concealed accumulated losses that exceeded the Bank’s share capital.† (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, 2004, p.3)   It is reported that SAMA required the Bank to issue new shares and doubl e its capital in 1986. SAMA arranged this increase to be taken up entirely by the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The Bank also benefited from â€Å"low-cost† deposits from the Public Investment Fund. These measures helped the Bank with liquidity and rescued it back to a healthy position.† (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, 2004, p. 4-5   III. Regulatory Framework of Banking System in Saudi Arabia SAMA in collaboration with Saudi Arabia Ministry of Finance ensured the financial system’s stability and assisted banks in clearing the hurdles of economic downturn. Included in this collaborative initiative were the following actions: (1) Banks were required to seek SAMA’s approval prior to announcing their dividends. The Banking Control Law required all banks to build their statutory reserves equal to their share capital. SAMA further encouraged Saudi banks to build additional reserves to strengthen their capital base. (2) Most foreign shareholders in Saudi banks enjoyed a tax holiday for the first five years of their ownership. To encourage retention of profits, the tax holiday was extended in most cases by another 5 years after which a deferred tax scheme was permitted; (3) In 1986, SAMA obtained a ruling from the Tax Department that permitted the tax deduction of loan loss provisions on   an accrual basis. This encouraged banks to increase their loan loss provisi ons for doubtful accounts; (4) To encourage Saudi banks to increase their inter-bank dealings and to support the development of a riyal inter-bank market, a tax ruling was obtained which exempted foreign banks from withholding taxes when carrying out inter-bank transactions with Saudi banks; (5) Corporate Governance.   SAMA recognized the need to encourage banks to take strong steps to improve their risk management and control procedures. Consequently, it took major initiatives in the area of corporate governance. Firstly, it required all banks to develop and strengthen their internal audit departments, and secondly it issued minimum internal control guidelines.   In addition, SAMA issued accounting standards for Commercial Banks in Saudi Arabia which were in line with International Accounting Standards; (6) Creation of Banking Disputes Committee. In 1987, Saudi authorities established a Banking Dispute Committee by the order of the Council of Ministers.   The creation of this Committee as the only relevant quasicourt to handle dispute between banks and their customers significantly strengthened the legal system.   By law, all banking disputes had to be referred to this Committee and the rulings of this Committee were given the same enforcement support as decisions from any other court; (7) Exchange of Information on Large Borrowers and on Delinquent Loans. In the early 1980’s, SAMA established a credit information service that provided information to Saudi banks on all large exposures of the Banking System.   This enabled banks to better assess the credit position and risk of big borrowers.   Also in 1986, SAMA permitted banks to exchange information on delinquent borrowers as a means of applying collective pressure on them. These measures have proved quite effective in resolving problems of delinquent loans.† (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, 2004, p. 5-6) IV. Improvement of Banking Services Banking and financial services were improved during the early decade of the 1980s by technological advances and SAMA had acknowledged a decade earlier that there was not only a potential but as well as need to â€Å"enhance and strengthen the Saudi financial markets through greater investment in modern technology. It is reported that the primary objectives of this strategy were: (1) elimination of duplication of efforts and waste; and (2) development of a national infrastructure. (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, 2004, p. 7) Technology enhanced business services introduced included: (1) automated Cheque Clearing System (1986); (2) linking of Saudi Arabia with the SWIFT payment network; (3) introduction of a national Automated Teller Machine System enabling customers to access accounts from any machine in Saudi Arabia and from the major financial markets; (4) introduction of debit, credit and charge cards; and (5) introduction of Point-of-Sale terminals that link customers, traders and banks. (Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, 2004, p.7) International Islamic Financial Institutions It is reported that International Islamic Financial Institutions are reported in the work of Memon (2007) entitled â€Å"Islamic Banking: Present and Future Challenges† to be making provision of â€Å"a wide range of services in accordance with the basic principles of Shariah. The products are reported to include: (1) Mudaraba; (2) Murabaha; (3) Musharaka; (4) Ijarah; (5) Isstina; and (6) Salam. (Memon, 2007, p.4)   Conventional banks are reported to operate under the concept â€Å"of lender-borrower relationship where interest is considered as the rental income on capital. The depositors are assumed to be capital providers.† (Memon, 2007, p.4) Bank customers are reported to be divided into three broad categories as follows: (1) religiously motivated customers; (2) high profit customers; and (3) customers who are religiously motivated but also expect returns at least similar to conventional banks. (Memon, 2007, p.6) It is reported as follows in regards to the Islamic economic system: â€Å"Islamic economics is a system, which not only fulfils our moral, ethical, and religious obligations but also demonstrates to be economically feasible and financially rewarding. Islamic banking is based on asset-based transactions for the purpose of income generation, and prohibits financing in all forms of economic activities, which are normally and/or socially injurious to the society.† (Memon, 2007, p.6) Additionally stated is that the Islamic field of Banking operations â€Å"is unlimited. It is under continuous process of evolving and Islamic financial modes instruments have been developed to cover nearly all kinds of businesses including consumer financing, project financing, house financing, working capital financing, import and export financing, venture capital, etc.† (Memon, 2007, p.6) A survey conducted in the United States indicates that U.S. banker perception of Islamic Banking includes that 10 out of 20 Islamic Banking practices are viewed as acceptable. Those ten include: (1) investment accounts; (2) transfer of funds; (3) cost plus finance; (4) profit and loss; (5) sharing, (6) trust financing, (7) leasing, (8) lease purchase, (9) letters of guarantee, and (10) flexible investment of deposit and role as trustees. (Memon, 2007, p.8) VI. Service Quality in Saudi Arabian Banks The work of Al-Fawzan (2005) entitled â€Å"Assessing Service Quality in a Saudi Bank† states that service quality is defined as â€Å"the degree of alignment between customers’ expectations and their perceptions of the service received.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005, p.1) Al-Fawzan (2005) states that the move to â€Å"†¦managed service has increased demands for outcome-based accountability, cost containment, and attention to customer-focused quality in order to remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment. This dual focus on driving down costs while increasing quality has intensified pressures to understand, measure, and manage quality from a customer perspective.† (p.101) While banking systems are stated to provide services that are the same they are differentiated by the quality of services provided. In addition, today’s customers are â€Å"†¦more aware of the alternatives and their expectations of service have increased. Service quality c an, therefore, be used as a strategic tool to build a distinctive advantage over competitors. Banks are striving for zero defection and retaining every customer that the company can profitably serve in order to achieve service excellence.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005) Zero defections makes a requirement of ongoing efforts for improving service quality. It is reported that while quality â€Å"can not be improved unless it is measured, it can be defined from several perspectives, e.g., the ability to satisfy the needs and expectations of the customer, or the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy given needs.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005) There is a growing acknowledgement of quality importance in banking services although â€Å"its conceptualization and empirical assessment have remained limited.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005) Al-Fawzan (2005) reports that the â€Å"central tenet of the quality paradigm is the importance of understand ing and utilizing customer data to drive operational and strategic decisions, defining quality from the outside-in based on customer information is critical. This shift in defining quality often necessitates a fundamental change in the way professionals, managers, staff, and policy makers think about and identify those who buy or use products and service.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005) Those who use banking services are not generally refers to as ‘customers’ but instead are referred to as ‘client† suggesting â€Å"†¦a passive voice in the service delivery process, which is reflected by professionals in the field who question the credibility of client evaluation of services. On the other hand, customer carries an image of an active participant with more input in determining choices and decisions. Clients of human service organizations who follow directions from professionals and make few demands on the system are labeled as cooperative. In contrast, customers in the business sector who are loyal to the service, interact with the staff, and are willing to show their preferences are viewed as desirable customer.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005) Al-Fawzan states that customers have difficulty in the articulation of â€Å"banking service quality† therefore â€Å"the recipient of the service can only really assess it, thereby making its mea surement more subjective than exact. Hence, the measurement of banking service quality has to be based on perceived quality rather than objective quality because services are intangible, heterogeneous and their consumption and production occur simultaneously.† (2005) It is reported that service quality   â€Å"†¦ is a measure of how well the service level matches customers’ expectations.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005) It is reported that Parasuraman et al. â€Å"†¦defined service quality as perceived by customers and items from a comparison on their expectations of the services they will receive with their   perceptions of the performance of the service provider.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005) The study reported by Al-Fawzan (2005) summarizes the results stated the following findings: (1) the most important dimension determined by Saudi Bank customers is that of ‘assurance dimension’; (2) a service gap exists in service quality provided by Saudi Banks w ith the most notable gap being the accessibility dimension; (3) Saudi Bank customers, on average, rated Saudi Banks service quality to be overall good; (4) the expectations of Saudi Banks by customers are â€Å"highest in reliability dimension; (5) 67.8% of SB customers rated the overall service quality as good and very good; (5) SB employees dress nicely and they are polite when talking to customers; (6) SB has exceeded customers’ expectations in performing the service right from the beginning and in instilling the confidence in customers that their transactions are complete and safe.† (Al-Fawzan, 2005) The work of Sohail and Shaikh (2008) entitled â€Å"Internet Banking and Quality of Service: Perspectives from a Developing Nation in the Middle East† reports a study that had as its objective the measurement of the quality of service from the perspective of the customer on internet banking in Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted via a questionnaire survey and an extensive review of literature. Findings in the study report that upon the basis of a factor analysis three factors were found to influence the evaluation of quality of internet banking services by users. Those three factors identified are stated to include: (1) efficiency and security; (2) fulfillment; and (3) responsiveness. (Sohail and Shaikh, 2008) In 2010 Jasimuddin reported in the work entitled â€Å"Saudi Arabian Banks on the Web† reports that commercial transactions via the Internet began in 1995 and that online banking is an application with much promise. However, while many banks in developed countri es have made provision of banking services via the Internet, Saudi Arabia is â€Å"lagging behind.† (Jasimuddin, 2010, p.1) The environment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s environment is very conducive to Internet banking service provision. Jasimuddin reports that as of 2000 there were 11 banks and 1201 branches operating in Saudi Arabia. As of the middle of 2000, there are 11 banks with 1201 branches operating across Saudi Arabia. Eight banks are reported to have established a web site presence which is a rate of 73% of banks with a web site presence although only two of these offer Internet Banking Services. When the Saudi banks web sites are compared there is not major difference noted in the content of the bank web sites. The contents of the websites are stated to be inclusive of information about the bank, the addresses of branches and ATMs, phone and fax numbers, press releases, newsletters, news about the site and welcome letters, hot links, job opportunities, publications, contact and email, feedback, sitemap, site search, online forms and so forth. (Jasimuddin, 2010, paraphrased) Practically all of the banks provide information relating to customer services that â€Å"incorporate financial market, retail and corporate banking, investment treasury service, telephone and PC banking.† (Jasimuddin, 2010) I t is reported that online banking in Saudi Arabia is still a â€Å"very marginal activity† and that internet is presently being used by Saudi banks primarily for â€Å"brand awareness and promotion.† (Jasimuddin, 2010) Saudi banks will be driven by â€Å"the dynamic and imperatives of e-finance†¦to build web site and to start Internet banking.† (Jasimuddin, 2010) In other words, since this is a banking service that is increasingly familiar customers will be requesting these services from banks in the future in Saudi Arabia. VII.  Technology Use in Banking Service Provision It was reported in 2007 that the National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia was established in Saudi Arabia prior to any other banks being established. This bank has 300 branches throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with some branches stated to be â€Å"dedicated exclusively to Islamic Banking Services. The National Commercial bank reports having implemented use of a digital signage system which is reported to make provision of a â€Å"better platform for NCB to better communicate with its employees, educating them about the banks products and services and enhancing the service they provide to their customers.† (Jasimuddin, 2010) Summary of Literature Reviewed It is clear that banks in Saudi Arabia are faced with a diverse customer-base and this makes a requirement of diversification of banking services offered by banks in the Kingdom. While internet banking services provision is somewhat behind the development in the rest of the world, it is certain that Saudi Arabian banking customers will clearly see the benefits to Internet banking and that the push will soon be on for provision of this banking service by Saudi Arabian banks. Internet banking as well as other technological advanced service possibilities are presently being explored by Saudi Arabian banks including such technologies as a digital signage system among others. While the banking sector is quite developed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia there does appear to be a general mistrust of Internet banking technology and not just on the part of customers but in the view of the banking industry in Saudi Arabia as well. Recommendations Arising from this study is a recommendation for research to be conducted examining the quality of banking service provision by banks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a focus on technology use.    References Memon, N.A. (2007) Islamic Banking: Present and Future Challenges. Journal of Management and Social Sciences. Vol. 3, No. 1, (Spring 2007) 01-10. Institute of Business and Technology (BIZTEK). Retrieved from: biztek.edu.pk/downloads/research/jmss_v3_n1/1-islamic%20banking.pdf A Case Study On Globalization and the Role of Institution Building in the Financial Sector Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency. February 2004. Retrieved from: sama.gov.sa/sites/samaen/OtherReportsLib/SK521-04(CaseStudyonGlobalization-RoleofInstitutionBuildinginSaudiArabia-Final)Dr.Shaukat.pdf Al-Fawzan, MA (2005) Assessing   Service Quality in a Saudi Bank. J. King Saud Univ., Vol. 18, Eng. Sci. (1), pp. 101-115, Riyadh (1426H./2005). Sohail, M.S. and Shaikh, N.M. (2008) Internet banking and quality of service: Perspectives from a developing nation in the Middle East. , Online Information Review, Vol. 32 Iss: 1, pp.58 72 Jasimuddin, Sajjad M. (2010) Saudi Arabianu Banks on the Web. Array Development. Retrieved from: tenso.fr/emarketing/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Aper%C3%A7u-de-%C2%AB%C2%A0Saudi-Arabian-Banks-on-the-Web%C2%A0%C2%BB.pdf

Islamic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Islamic - Assignment Example Muslims and non-Muslims have some similarities and differences inherent in their faith. To begin with, both are sensitive to political and other issues affecting people in the society. However, Muslims tend to be more religious than non-Muslims. Muslims rate the importance of God in their undertakings higher than non-Muslims; most Muslims do not accept abortion, divorce and have a particular opposition towards homosexuality. However, some Christians have a soft stand on some of these issues. Muslims do not allow intermarriage with non-Muslims, unlike Christians, and if they do, the spouse from non-Muslim faith must change their religion. Further, female Muslims do not shake hands with non-Muslims, but other religions do. These differences, which prevail between Muslim and non-Muslim individuals, have a negative effect in the social interaction of these two groups in the entire world. Most non-Muslims view Muslims as a segregated religion whose followers give priority to people who share the same faith. In addition, since terrorists are considered to be Muslims, non-Muslims are always conscious in dealing and interacting with Muslims (Mussarat 11). Therefore, good strategies should be put in place in order to establish tolerance, justice and compassion in the relationship between Muslims and non

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 32

Reflection - Essay Example The most relevant information that I have learnt about the concept of diversity is that, there are various strategies which can be put in place in to enhance diversity. People can be trained and sensitized on different cultures to be able to understand, interact and accept others. I learnt that diversity boost production rate in an organization due to different ideas from diverse places. Additionally, diversity training enhances effective diversity management and this in turn motivates people to cooperate well. However, diversity is prone to various problems like discrimination, inequality in subordinate groups and harassment of employees. Diversity is important to me because it eliminates problems caused by differences in race, gender, or culture. Consequently, when people adapt to diverse working conditions positively, they help in eradication of conflicts and increase productivity of the organization.Basically, this research has really changed my thinking and approach to diversity and leadership. For instance, I have realized that lack of diverse workforce is in most cases caused by discrimination and stereotypes among us. People can learn a lot when they interact and work with diverse people with different cultures, belong to distinct races or gender. The most relevant information about the research based on diversity and healthy living is that everyone’s life is always influenced negatively or positively. However the case, they are affected physically or mentally therefore, appropriate exercise is necessary in order to live a healthy life. In this research, I have learnt that positive feelings increase our attention capacity as well as emotional well being. Participation in activities helps in elimination of prejudices. Additionally, I have gained knowledge on diversity climate which concentrates on views of openness and reaction towards a particular group of diversity. Have knowledge on people’s personalities, backgrounds and habits make one to be

International finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International finance - Assignment Example Further, their customers in Thailand have committed themselves to purchase a fixed amount of Blade’s products hence ensuring that the sales volume is fixed and does not therefore fluctuate. Finally, the country has a high potential of stabilizing in future hence promises high returns to the company due to the high growth potential in the whole of Asia. Due to the unpredicted nature of economic performances, the company should take the investment now and not wait until next year. Further, it will more expensive to take the investment by next year in case the Thailand’s economic conditions improve by next year due to the eminent appreciation of baht and the increase in value of the firms to be acquired. In addition, many of the Blade’s competitors shall have also moved to Thailand thus reducing the returns to the company. The company will therefore get more returns if the economic conditions subsided or will face great losses in case the condition worsens. Blades should renew the contract with the Thai retailer so that it can increase its market share and hence sales volume. This is because the retailer purchases a fixed amount of its products regardless of the economic condition. Renewing the product has a potential of increasing the company’s market share while not renewing g it reduces its market share. Contract renewal will increase profit margins for the company because the retailer has already attracted and commands a substantial market The establishment of the subsidiary will be greatly supported by the government because it has a potential of providing employment opportunities in the country thereby increasing the living standards of the employees which in turn increases economic growth of the country as a

Influence of Location on Ecology Views

Influence of Location on Ecology Views City, rural and Costal backgrounds: Does Location Influence our outlook on ecology? Rebecca Anne Chesser Summary Conservation has gradually gone from being an issue to a select few, to now a global phenomenon. The widespread harmful aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment have reached catastrophic levels. The amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is already above the threshold that can potentially cause dangerous climate change. â€Å"We are already at risk, its not next year or next decade, its now. Report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Although the damage up until now is largely irreversible, conservation is the key to limiting any further damage to the global environment. If these issues are not urgently addressed the list of animals on the endangered species list will exponentially increase at an alarming rate. The future welfare of the planet, flora and fauna depends on how the world responds to the current global crisis. Human beings are guilty of robbing the world of its natural resources, impacting ecosystems and habitats o f wild animals. Re-education of how we manage the earth and its resources, and the animals and planets which live in it, is vital for future generations. With this in mind, this study will look to see if location, either urban, rural or coastal, has a direct effect on one’s knowledge and understanding of the natural world around them, and whether or not this impacts their attitudes towards conservation and animal welfare issues. This will hopefully make way for future research in order to raise awareness of what communities are more likely to be lax about environmental issues, and could benefit from more information/conservation schemes to improve the world in which we inhabit. Research Background Much of the previous research in this area has focused largely on cross-cultural studies, which observed the relation between how people conceptualise nature and how they act in it. â€Å"Tragedy of the commons† is a theory proposed by Garrett Hardin, according to which individuals, acting independently and rationally according to each ones self-interest, behave contrary to the whole groups long-term best interests by depleting some common resource (Hardin, 1968). The concept is often cited in connection with sustainable development, meshing economic growth and environmental protection, as well as in the debate over global warming. Commons can include the atmosphere, oceans, rivers, fish stocks, national parks and any other shared resource. The tragedy of the commons occurs when individuals neglect the well-being of society in the pursuit of personal gain and thus it is this attitude, which varies largely across cultures, which has become one of the most central, yet diverse, problems in environmental welfare decision making. A number of researchers have however noted many examples in which commons have been and are being successfully managed (Atran, 1986; Berkes, Feeny, McCay, Acheson, 1989; Deitz, Ostrom, Stern, 2003; Ostrom, 1999). Key factors in these successes include a closed-access system and having social institutions in place to monitor use and punish overusers. This again shows that depending on the measures in a particular location, the outcome of people’s attitudes towards conservation and ecology can be influenced. Lo ´pez, et al, (1997) found that US undergraduates and Itza’ Maya of Guatemala showed a different pattern of responding on a category-based inductive reasoning task involving mammals, indicating a clear difference in knowledge and understanding the essential nature and underlying properties of animals ranging across two very different cultures. In a two part study carried out Schultz, results showed that participants instructed to take the perspective of an animal being harmed by pollution scored significantly higher in biospheric environmental concerns than participants instructed to remain objective (Schultz 2000). This implies that concern for environmental issues is fundamentally linked to the degree to which people view themselves as part of the natural environment. This implies a potential link between location and knowledge of nature, and levels of concern for both environmental and animal welfare which is what this future investigation aims to distinguish. Hypothesis In relation to the previous research carried out, which illustrated that there is a link between location and understanding the essential nature and underlying properties of plants and animals, it will be expected that [1] urban dwellers will have less experience of country, shore and sea life and will therefore have a lesser knowledge of the essential nature- and the underlying properties of both plants and animals, meaning they will score less than country and coastal dwellers on the knowledge of nature section of the questionnaire. [2] This will therefore lead to urban dwellers being less enthusiastic about conservation issues, due to rural/coastal dwellers witnessing, first hand, the effects of environmental issues damaging their surrounding areas more obviously than in less green urban areas- (oil covered birds, woodlands destroyed etc). [3] Urban dwellers will also be less passionate regarding issues to do with the treatment of animals, due to reduced contact with them, and mor e physical distance from many animals, compared to living in the countryside or coastally, meaning they will also score less on both attitudes towards conservation of the environment and attitudes towards the treatment of animals sections. The null hypothesis would be that participant’s location does not directly impact their knowledge of the essential nature and underlying properties of plants and animals, nor does it directly influence their attitudes towards conservation and animal welfare. Method Equipment Participants will be briefed and a consent form will be completed online. Participants will then be asked to fill in an online questionnaire which should take no longer than half an hour to complete. The software platform for this online questionnaire will be TypeForm. Participants Participants will most likely be both male and female university and college students around the age of 18-25, with varying races and socio-economically backgrounds. Participants will be mostly self-selected to participate; having chosen this study to fulfil a research participation requirement scheme (STREP) enforced By Heriot Watt University. The questionnaire may also be sent to several other students at different university and college campuses in and around Edinburgh. Data Collection Data will be collected using an online survey. The questionnaire will be organised to ensure that questions are grouped into 4 categories. Participants will receive a score for each section- [1] Location of the participant- including previous locations, location preferences, how often they visit coastal/country areas if they arent coastal or country dwellers etc [2] Attitudes towards conservation of the planet- such as recycling, which environmental issues they are concerned with, how green they consider their lifestyle to be etc [3] Attitudes towards how animals are treated- views on vegetarianism, hunting, animal testing, free range, animals as pets, animals in captivity etc [4] *Still developing a way in which I can assess participants knowledge of essential nature- and the underlying properties of both plants and animalsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹* Variables Due to this study being observational, no manipulation of variables has occurred. The predictor variable for this study will be location of the participants, and the three outcome variables will be [1] knowledge of the essential nature and underlying properties of plants and animals, [2] attitudes towards conservation, [3] attitudes towards animal welfare. Measures No ‘scales’ or ‘measures’ exist for either the predictor variable nor the outcome variables of this study, therefore the questionnaire will be tailored to attain sufficient information from each section to allow a score to be allocated to each participant for each of the four sections. Each section will have between ten and fifteen questions. Firstly the questions will be assessing the location of the participant- most importantly whether they consider themselves to live in an urban, country, coastal or suburban area. Also included in this section will be questions to do with the length of time the participant has lived in Great Britain, how often the participant engages with the outdoors, if they have any access to parks or country walks nearby, if they have a job that involves working outdoors for extended periods of time, and also basic factors such as gender, age and ethnicity. Secondly, questions will be asked about attitudes towards energy conservation . This encompasses recycling, travel, lifestyle choices etc, which all could be seen to negatively impact global warming and conservation. Thirdly, questions about attitudes towards the value of animals will be asked- dietary choices, opinions on animal testing, hunting sports and keeping animals in captivity. The fourth element of the questionnaire is going to be a picture match (similar to that previously conducted in â€Å"Cultural Dià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬erences in Children’s Ecological Reasoning and Psychological Closeness to Nature: Evidence from Menominee and European American Children† (Unswortha et al). TypeForm Software allows a picture match, so 4 pictures will be presented, two will be matched somehow- ie. Same diet, both give birth to live young, both live underground, both young are called ‘kits’ etc, the participant scores 1 point for every pair correctly selected. There will be other multiple choice questions in this section to further assess the participant’s knowledge and understanding of nature, animals, plants and the planet. Again, the point scoring will continue- 1 point for every correct answer. For all questions there will also be an option to pass on the question, this will be in place to minimise participants randomly guessing, or cheati ng in order to avoid feeling embarrassed by selecting the wrong answers. Sections will be scored using a point system: for example one question could be â€Å"Which do you use more- bath or shower†- due to a shower conserving water, if this answer was selected the participant would receive 2 points, if they selected bath they would receive 1 point and so on. Participants will end up with 4 scores- one for location, one for conservation, one for animal treatment and one for knowledge of nature. ie. Rural participant may score 32 out of a possible 50 for conservation, whereas an urban participant may only score 19. Procedure Participants who chose to take part in this study by either signing up on the STREP system or through email, will be sent a brief if the study and a consent form. The brief will outline what the study will entail and stated that the participants will remain anonymous, with the exception of providing information regarding their age and sex, and will explain that participants have the option to withdraw from the study and ask for the data t not be used at any point. Once the consent form is signed, the participants will be asked to complete the online questionnaire. The participants will then be given a debriefing and, if applicable, be awarded their STREP credits. Analysis The data will be analysed using SPSS. (***Unsure which tests to use***) Limitations There could be many problems and limitations to this study. With time and funds restrained sample size will be limited and not representative of the entire population raising questions of the validity and ability to generalise the findings of the study. Many of the students asked to fill out the question may answer the questions untruthfully or may ‘skip’ some questions, and some may drop out the study leading to missing data. References Atran, S. (1986). Hamula [patrican] organisation and masha’a [commons]  tenure in Palestine. Man, 21, 271–295 Atran, S., Medin, D. L. and Ross, N. (2005). The cultural mind: environmental decision making and cultural modeling within and across populations. Psychological Review 112, 744-776. Bailenson, J. N., Shum, M., Atran, S., Medin, D. L. and Coley, J. D. (2002). A bird’s eye view:  biological categorization and reasoning within and across cultures. Cognition 84, 1-53. Berkes, F., Feeny, D., McCay, B., Acheson, J. (1989, July 13). The  benefit of the commons. Nature, 340, 91–93. Dietz, T., Ostrom, E., Stern, P. (2003, December 12). The struggle to  govern the commons. Science, 302, 1907–1912. Gelman, S. A. (2003). The Essential Child. New York: Oxford University Press. Lo ´pez, A., Atran, S., Coley, J., Medin, D. (1997). The tree of life: universal and cultural features of folkbiological taxonomies and inductions. Cognitive Psychology, 32, 251–295 Ostrom, E. (1999). Coping with tragedies of the commons. Annual Review  of Political Science, 2, 493–535 Schultz, W. P. (2000). Empathizing with nature: The eà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ects of perspective taking on concern for environmental issues. Journal of Social Issues 56, 391-406. Walker, S. J. (1999). Culture, domain specificity and conceptual change: Natural kind and artefact  concepts. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 17, 203-219. SCHOOL OF LIFE SCIENCES ETHICS COMMITTEE Application Form (click on the grey boxes to insert text) Section A: Project Overview Project Title: City, rural and Costal backgrounds: Does Location Influence our outlook on ecology? 2. Approval sought: Full approval Re-Submission In principle Contact Information 3. Responsible Staff Member: a) Name: Thusha Rajendran b) Telephone: +44 (0)131 451 3456 4. Investigator (if different from Responsible Staff Member): a) Name: b) Telephone: c) Email: 5. Duration of Proposed Project: February 2014 6. Anticipated Start Date: February 2014 7. Does the proposed research involve human participants or living animals in any way? Yes No Note. Involvement of human participants includes obtaining information from people through methods such as experiments, observation, surveys or interview, or any use of previously obtained personal data, or any use of human tissue samples. If your answer to Question 7 is ‘yes’ complete the rest of the form; if it is ‘no’, simply sign the declaration at the end of the form. 8. Please provide a brief summary of the proposed study (if possible, in less than 300 words. Include an overview of the design, variables, and other ethically-pertinent considerations). Feel free to attach a document if convenient. Section B: Administration Section C: Ethical Considerations Section D: Further Information Regarding Ethical Considerations If you responded ’No’ to any questions in section B, or ‘Yes’ to any questions in Section C, please provide further information, indicating how you would address this issue. Please be as comprehensive as possible, as this will speed the process for the referees and may avoid the need to contact you for further information or clarification.

Online Innovation :: essays research papers

Project overview: There is a great need for a full service and price competitive on-line meat shop. At this point, we may explain our company nature before and after go online like from â€Å"Blick and Mortar† to â€Å"Click and Mortar†? If we combine this need being met with the feel of shopping at a real â€Å"home town† meat shop our competitive advantage will be far greater than that of our competitors. There are very few alternatives for on-line meat shops. There are notch stores such as Bisonmeat.com that ships bison meat at a premium and targets only a small demographic. Also, there are full product providers like Iowameats.com. However there prices are wildly out of line compared to a â€Å"home town meat shop.† Should we emphasize our low cost of operation and production, which cause our low price offered? It is clear the on-line community is underserved in this area and it is evident that there is much room for growth and profitability in the on-line meat market industry. Value proposition: What we propose is a partnership with local meat shops in the US to achieve maximum shipping savings and product quality. Is this partnership including Delivery Service Company? Since we’ll offer free shipping to customers, we may need to mention about long term relationship or contract with Delivery Company. Practically, we won’t survive if we need to pay high for each shipment, isn’t it? We believe that we can offer the same meats at the same price as walking into the store and picking it off the shelf by offering subscriptions to our customers and creating a commission based service fee to the vendors. The subscriptions and commissions from the vendor (individual customer?) would be our revenue. The vendor would profit by name recognition on the site, increased sales from on-line purchases, and only pays in return for sales. Since we will be working with a â€Å"home town meat shop† we will have a competitive bundle of satisfactions.

Mode of Entry in India by Foreign Investors

foreign capital implies funds that are raised from foreign investors for investment purposes in development projects of a host country. Any investment flowing from one country to another country is foreign investment. This concept came in 1950s when many capital deficient countries resorted to foreign capital as a primary means to achieve rapid economic growth. Foreign capital can enter the country in the form of: 1. Direct Investment 2. Indirect Investment Also, with time the concept of foreign aid came up. It is nothing but movement of money from one country to another in the form of aid for development.It flows to developing countries in the form of loans, assistance and outright grants from various governmental and international organizations ADVANTAGES OF FOREIGN CAPITAL 1. It raises the level of investment – Brings in more industries and technology to the country and gives boost to the employment, production and economy of the host country. 2. Helps in upgradation of tec hnology – Foreign investment brings with it the technological knowledge while transferring machinery and equipment to developing countries. 3.Exploitation of natural resources – A number of underdeveloped countries process huge mineral resources, which awaits exploitation. These countries themselves do not possess the required technical skill and expertise to accomplish this task. 4. Development of basic economic infrastructure – Underdeveloped or developing countries require a huge capital investment for development of basic economic structure as their domestic capital is often too adequate. 5. Improves export competitiveness – A foreign investment can help the host country to improve its export performance.This is because of increase in the level of efficiency and the standard of product quality. Also, better access to foreign market further improves the export competitiveness. 6. Benefits the consumers with competitive market – Consumers in deve loping countries stand to gain from a foreign investment through new products and improved quality of goods at competitive prices. 7. Generates revenue to the government – The profit generation by a foreign investment in the host country contributes to the corporate tax revenue in the latter. 8.Supplements domestic savings – Less developed countries lack sufficient savings, required for investment in development projects like building economic and social infrastructure. Foreign capital bridges this gap. 9. Employment increases in the host country – As foreign companies come up, they establish their plant in the host country. As a result, employment also increases. DISADVANTAGES OF FOREIGN CAPITAL 1. Countries face severe debt problems – If all the investors who have invested in the host country, pull out their money overnight then the host country comes in debt. 2.Appreciation of real exchange rate occurs – As more foreign investors invest in the c ountry, the demand for the domestic currency rises. This causes appreciation of domestic currency and hence loss of competitiveness of exports as they become costlier. 3. Chances of inflation – Domestic supply of money increases and if this money is not utilized and absorbed in profitable projects then there is an inclination towards inflation. 4. The economy becomes overvalued – As the investors come in, the money in the economy starts flowing causing unnecessary appreciation in foreign currency. 5.Domestic market is affected – When foreign investments compete with the home investments, the profits in the domestic industries fall, thereby leading to a fall in domestic savings. 6. There is less contribution to public revenue – As the corporate taxes are comparatively less because of liberal tax concessions, investment allowances, designed public subsidies and tariff protection that are provided by the host government. ————†”———————————- TYPES OF FOREIGN CAPITAL There are five major types of foreign capital. They are – 1. Foreign Direct  Investment (FDI)It is a process whereby residents of the source country acquires the ownership of assets for the purpose of controlling the production, distribution and other activities of a firm in the host country. The foreign investors are free to invest in India, except few sectors/activities, where prior approval from the Reserve Bank of India (‘RBI’) or Foreign Investment Promotion Board (‘FIPB’) would be required. The followings activities/sectors requires prior approval of FIPB. a. Manufacture of Cigars & Cigarettes of tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes b.Manufacture of Electronic aerospace and defence equipments c. Manufacture of items exclusively reserved for Small Scale Sector with more than 24% FDI d. Proposals in which the foreign col laborator has an existing financial / technical collaboration in India in the ‘same’ field e. All proposals falling outside notified sectoral policy. The foreign investors planning to set of business in India have two options, either to set up a separate corporate entity in India, i. e. incorporating an Indian company or through unincorporated entity, i. e. Branch Office of the foreign entity.Incorporation of an Indian company can be possible under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956. The foreign investors can invest in such Indian company up to 100% of capital depending upon sectoral guidelines prescribed by the Government of India. Under Second Option, a foreign company are allowed to operate in India, subject to conditions and activities permitted under the Foreign Exchange Management (Establishment in India of Branch Office of other place of business) Regulations, 2000, through setting up either of the followings: Liaison Office/Representative Office; Project Office; or Branch Office.While making entry into any nation, innumerable clearances are to be obtained at the state and district levels. Also, a number of practical hurdles, such as infrastructure bottlenecks have to be overcome. Also, the exit is difficult, in the sense that, archaic labour laws, such as the Industrial Disputes Act, prohibit the closure of any company. ADVANTAGES OF FDI Below mentioned are some of the advantages of FDI. They are very similar to that of foreign capital. 1. Growth and employment 2. Technology and know how 3. Access to goods and services 4. Fill the savings gap DISADVANTAGES OF FDI . Political lobbying – In the past, there have been many instances in which MNCs have resorted to political lobbying in order to get certain policies and laws implemented in their favor. 2. Exploitation of resources – Exploitation of natural resources of a host country is not a very uncommon phenomenon in the case of FDI. MNCs of other countries have been know n to indiscriminately exploit the resources of host countries in order to get short run gains and profits and have even chosen to ignore the sustainability factors associated with the local communities and local habitat. . Threaten small scale industries – MNCs have large economic and pricing power due to their large sizes. They do not have much problem with regards to financial capital and can hence resort to using advertising which is a costly affair. Also, these companies are global players who have their operations spread across countries and have effective supply chains which enable them to have economies of scale which smaller players in the domestic market of the host country cannot compete with.All this results in the MNC having cheaper products and more visibility due to the higher amounts of advertising and have been known to push out smaller industries out of business. 4. Technology – Although, the MNCs have access to new and cutting edge technology, they do not transfer the latest technology to the host country with a fear that their home country may loose its competitive advantage. 2. Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) FPI is buying and selling of shares, convertible debentures of Indian companies and units of domestic mutual funds at any of the Indian stock exchanges.FPI are done by foreign investors in shares, bonds and equity market. It brings foreign exchange to the country but it has its own problems as it brings volatile money to the country. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) can make portfolio investments. FIIs are allowed to invest in the primary and secondary capital markets in India under the Portfolio Investment Scheme 3. Foreign Institutional Investment (FII) FII is defined as an institution established or incorporated outside India for making investment in Indian securities.They may invest in securities traded in both the primary and secondary markets. These securities include shares, debentures, and units of mutual funds Foreign Institutional Investments are the investments by foreign financial institutes like banks, insurance companies, pension funds, mutual funds etc. These are mostly in Govt. securities which are quite secure. The entry and exit are very simple through FII’s. FIIs must register themselves with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and comply with the exchange control regulations of RBI. 4. External Commercial Borrowings (ECB)ECB refer to commercial loans (in the form of bank loans, buyers’ credit, suppliers’ credit, securitised instruments) availed from non-resident lenders with minimum average maturity of 3 years. ECB for investment in real sector – industrial sector, especially infrastructure sector-in India, are under Automatic Route. ECB in the following requires approval of the government : a. Activities/items that require an Industrial Licence b. Proposals in which the foreign collaborator has an existing venture/tie up in Indi a c. Proposals for acquisition of shares in an existing Indian company in some cases. . Depository Receipts (ADR/GDR) ADR is adopted by many large and well respected companies from India to raise funds from American Markets. If any Indian Company has issued ADRs in the American market wishes to further extend it to other developed and advanced countries such as Europe, then they can sell these ADRs to the public of Europe and the same would be named as GDR. ADRs and GDRs are not for investors in India – they can invest directly in the shares of various Indian companies. They are an excellent means of investment for NRIs and foreign nationals wanting to invest in India.By buying these, they can invest directly in Indian companies without going through the hassle of understanding the rules and working of the Indian financial market – since ADRs and GDRs are traded like any other stock. NRIs and foreigners can buy these using their regular equity trading accounts.  Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ROUTES OF ENTRY There are majorly two routes for entry in India – 1. Automatic Route : The route wherein no government approval is required for the investors. As a reference, FDI up to 100% is allowed in all activities/sectors. 2.Approval Route : The route wherein Government approval is required. This is done by either RBI or FIPB. Apart, from two major classifications. There can also be other classification also as shown below – 1. As a foreign company through a Liaison Office/ Representative Office, Project Office or a Branch Office. 2. As an Indian company through a Joint Venture or a Wholly Owned Subsidiary. LIAISON OFFICE / REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE Foreign corporations/entities are permitted to open liaison offices/representative offices in India for undertaking liaison activities on their behalf. Approval from RBI is needed.No fees, commission o r remuneration can be charged by the Indian liaison office. Liaison office cannot directly or indirectly undertake any trading, commercial or manufacturing activity and therefore, cannot earn any income in India. Its role is limited – 1. to representing the parent company/group companies in India 2. promoting export/import from/to India 3. promoting collaborations between parent company and companies in India 4. collecting information about possible market opportunities and providing information about the company and its products to prospective Indian customers.PROJECT OFFICE A foreign corporation, which has secured a contract from an Indian company to execute a project in India, is allowed to establish a project office in India without obtaining prior permission from RBI. Such offices cannot undertake or carry on any activity other than the activity relating to the execution of the project. The foreign corporation which sets up such a project office is required to furnish a prescribed report to the concerned regional office of RBI under whose jurisdiction the project office is set up.BRANCH OFFICE Foreign corporations/entities engaged in manufacturing and trading activities abroad are allowed to set up branch offices in India. The branch office can carry the same activities as the ones carried on by the foreign corporation overseas except that it cannot carry manufacturing activity on its own (sub-contracting is permitted). It can also stock & sell products in India and is permitted to acquire immovable property necessary or incidental to carrying on activities permitted by RBI. Green field investment:-A form of foreign direct investment where a parent company starts a new venture in a foreign country by constructing new operational facilities from the ground up. It occurs when multinational corporations enter into devolping countries to build new factories. Advantages:- Firm can build the subsidiary it wants. Relatively easily to establish operating r outines. New jobs are created in the local market. Disadvantages:- Faces competition before it is set up Time consuming research has to be carried out before hand. Emerging markets might be unstable, hence leading to extra costs & time consumption. Lengthy process from scratchBrown field investment:- The purchasing of an existing production or business facility by companies or governmental agencies for the purpose of starting new product or service production activity. This type of investment does not involved the new construction of plant operation facility. It is also called merger and acquisition. Advantages:- Less time consuming & quick to execute. Less risky as compared to greenfield. Immediate grab of market share. Reduce competition by taking over rival. The investor can bank on the existing goodwill of the acquired business. Disadvantages:- Not always successful.Cultural clash reducing effectiveness. Some workers are laid off, this affects motivational levels of present work ers JOINT VENTURE The cooperation of two or more individuals or businesses in which each agrees to share profit, loss and control in a specific enterprise. A Joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. The cooperation of two or more individuals or businesses in which each agrees to share profit, loss and control in a specific enterprise. Forming a joint venture is a good way for companies to partner without having to merge.JV’S are typically taxed as a partnership. Advantages:- Help the company to grow in those areas where the company does not have any expertise and would have failed if it was not for joint venture. Joint venture can help the company in reducing the risks which are associated with starting a new business. It results in better utilization of the resources which company has at its disposal. Disadvantages:- It does not give the management of the company control because the decisions are taken by both the companies and therefore it can create problems if both companies do not agree on some issues.It is difficult to integrate resources of companies entering into joint ventures WHOLLY – OWNED SUBSIDIARY A Foreign corporation can set up its subsidiary company either in the form of a private limited company or as a public limited company in India. A company in India is required to be incorporated under The Companies Act, 1956. In comparison with the branch office and liaison office, a subsidiary company provides maximum flexibility for conducting business in India. It can also undertake manufacturing activities in India

Womens rights essays

Women's rights essays Over the years women have always fought for their rights: for the right to vote, for the right to fight among the men in the Army and even for the right to get paid the same amount for doing the same work as men. Most of the fights were for rights that were guaranteed to women by the constitution but were denied. Over the decades women have also fought for something that the American people have enjoyed over the years with ease of mind: birth control. Not only did the women of the United States fight for the rights they are passionate about but they also opened up the doors for the subject that is not anymore considered Taboo or wrong. Now everyone who is sexually active can gain information on contraceptives. In Women and Power in American History, Linda Gordon tells the story of how one woman named Margaret Sanger struggled to get a license for a clinic that she was running to be able to give information on contraceptives. While Jessie M. Rodrique informed the public through the bo ok about the African Americans struggle not only to provide the contraceptive information for their people but also to provide a better standing for themselves. Sex radicals who began the birth-control movement before the First World War were amateurs. (Gordon, 127) From the beginning the author lets the reader know that the fight for contraceptive that Sanger fought was started of in the wrong way. The amateurs as the writer describes them, were mostly men, they had no professional or socially recognized expertise in sexology. (Gordon, 127) Even before the writer introduces Sanger to the reader, the character of Sanger is build up to be a professional, educated woman, in at least the sexology background. The writer continues to praise and emphasize more about the greatness of Sanger, ...Sanger was an important factor in facilitating, even encouraging the professionalization of the birth control moveme...

Lee v. Weisman (1992) - Prayers at School Graduation

Lee v. Weisman (1992) - Prayers at School Graduation How far can a school go when it comes to accommodating the religious beliefs of students and parents? Many schools have traditionally had someone offer prayers at important school events like graduations, but critics argue that such prayers violate the separation of church and state because they mean that the government is endorsing particular religious beliefs. Fast Facts: Lee v. Weisman Case Argued: November 6, 1991Decision Issued:Â  June 24, 1992Petitioner: Robert E. LeeRespondent: Daniel WeismanKey Question: Did letting a religious officiant offer a prayer during an official public school ceremony violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?Majority Decision: Justices Blackmun, O’Connor, Stevens, Kennedy, and SouterDissenting: Justices Rehnquist, White, Scalia, and ThomasRuling: Since the graduation was state-sponsored, the prayer was deemed in violation of the Establishment Clause. Background Information Nathan Bishop Middle School in Providence, RI, traditionally invited clergy to offer prayers at graduation ceremonies. Deborah Weisman and her father, Daniel, both of whom were Jewish, challenged the policy and filed suit in court, arguing that the school had turned itself into a house of worship after a rabbis benediction. At the disputed graduation, the rabbi thanked for: ...the legacy of America where diversity is celebrated...O God, we are grateful for the learning which we have celebrated on this joyous commencement...we give thanks to you, Lord, for keeping us alive, sustaining us and allowing us to reach this special, happy occasion. With help from the Bush administration, the school board argued that the prayer was not an endorsement of religion or of any religious doctrines. The Weismans were supported by the ACLU and other groups interested in religious freedom. Both the district and appellate courts agreed with the Weismans and found the practice of offering prayers unconstitutional. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court where the administration asked it to overturn the three-prong test created in Lemon v. Kurtzman. Court Decision Arguments were made on November 6th, 1991. On June 24th 1992, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that prayers during school graduation violate the Establishment Clause. Writing for the majority, Justice Kennedy found that officially sanctioned prayers in public schools were so clearly a violation that the case could be decided without relying upon the Courts earlier church/separation precedents, thus avoiding questions about the Lemon Test entirely. According to Kennedy, the governments involvement in religious exercises at graduation is pervasive and unavoidable. The state creates both public and peer pressure on students to rise for and remain silent during prayers. State officials not only determine that an invocation and benediction should be given, but also select the religious participant and provide guidelines for the content of the nonsectarian prayers. The Court viewed this extensive state participation as coercive in the elementary and secondary school settings. The state in effect required participation in a religious exercise, since the option of not attending one of lifes most significant occasions was no real choice. At a minimum, the Court concluded, the Establishment Clause guarantees that government may not coerce anyone to support or participate in religion or its exercise. What to most believers may seem nothing more than a reasonable request that the nonbeliever respect their religious practices, in a school context may appear to the nonbeliever or dissenter to be an attempt to employ the machinery of the State to enforce a religious orthodoxy. Although a person could stand for the prayer merely as a sign of respect for others, such an action could justifiably be interpreted as accepting the message. The control held by teachers and principals over the students actions forces those graduating to submit to the standards of behavior. This is sometimes referred to as the Coercion Test. Graduation prayers fail this test because they put impermissible pressure on students to participate in, or at least show respect for, the prayer. In a dictum, Justice Kennedy wrote about the importance of the separating church and state: The First Amendments Religion Clauses mean that religious beliefs and religious expression are too precious to be either proscribed or prescribed by the State. The design of the Constitution is that preservation and transmission of religious beliefs and worship is a responsibility and a choice committed to the private sphere, which itself is promised freedom to pursue that mission. [...] A state-created orthodoxy puts at grave risk that freedom of belief and conscience which are the sole assurance that religious faith is real, not imposed. In a sarcastic and scathing dissent, Justice Scalia said that prayer is a common and accepted practice of bringing people together and the government should be allowed to promote it. The fact that prayers can cause division for those who disagree with or are even offended by the content simply wasnt relevant, as far as he was concerned. He also didnt bother to explain how sectarian prayers from one religion could unify people of many different religions, never mind people with no religion at all. Significance This decision failed to reverse the standards established by the Court in Lemon. Instead, this ruling extended the prohibition of school prayer to graduation ceremonies and refused to accept the idea that a student would not be harmed by standing during the prayer without sharing the message contained in the prayer.

Circles in a Circle by Vasily Kandinsky Term Paper

Circles in a Circle by Vasily Kandinsky - Term Paper Example The essay "Circles in a Circle by Vasily Kandinsky" explores the work of art Circles in a Circle by Vasily Kandinsky. The paper also considers how Circles is not an offbeat experimental work within Kandinsky’s broad oeuvres. He developed a unique style, whereby, he tried to reign in his artistic imagination within the structure of geometry. The work has several features that were deemed novel upon their introduction. One of the prominent features is the usage of perfect geometric forms. Conventional aesthetic sense had it that mellifluous and obtuse curves comprised the grammar of the art. But what Kandinsky’s art achieved was to open up a new idea of aesthetic. Under this new sensibility, the precision of mathematics is shown to have a place in visual arts. When we search for socio-cultural analogies, there are parallels to the compositional technique of Johann Sebastian Bach. Experts widely accede to the mathematical element behind the composer’s technique. One could read Circles within a Circle as a tribute to the musical genius from the Baroque era. At once, it is also an experiment to test if an idea could be transposed across art forms. Given the rich legacy of appreciation that Kandinsky’s Circles has drawn over the centuries, it is fair to claim that the experimentation has been a success. The great Italian polymath set forth an intellectual tradition wherein science and art were closely connected. Circles is also strikingly representative of Nicholas Copernicus’ illustrations of the order of the Universe.

Determine the best deal between two different computers Essay

Determine the best deal between two different computers - Essay Example Dell has its own pros and is an amazing product, but when it comes to buying a computer, Mac takes the first place because when compared to Dell it has more pros. There are many things I have discovered in my research and would like to share them all with you. First and foremost, let us consider the software used for both the computers. Since minority uses Mac, therefore most software manufacturing companies find it prolific to manufacture software that can be used on personal computers like Dell, rather than those that are used on Mac. For this reason, we can find a whole range of software for personal computers like Dell but we do have the luxury to choose software for Mac as well. There are many specialized software for Mac as well. People who are in some way linked with media find Mac better than Personal computers like Dell. Mac offers great technical support for such people. (123helpme.com, 2011) Also, the factor regarding price comes, and people argue that Mac is more expensive than personal computers like Dell. In this case, people only talk about the initial costs incurred. If we consider the price that Microsoft charges if the software is being used on more than one personal computer. Mac does not have any charges for client access on a server. (123helpme.com, 2011) Plus, there is quite some difference between the usage of Mac and Dell. Some argue that Mac is not as easy as personal computers like Dell. However, this is just a myth. Mac is as easy for usage as Dell or any other personal computer. Furthermore, Windows can run on Mac easily but no personal computer can run Mac natively. Some even say and have observed that Mac is way faster than the rest of the personal computers. (Make use of, 2009) Also, on personal computers there is a massive threat of viruses. On the other hand, the Personal Computers are recommended to have antivirus installed in them. Yet, it still gets virus and gets